Marian Dragulescu wins gold in Floor event at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2017

After qualifying in the finals with the second score, Marian Dragulescu, the most awarded Romanian male gymnast of all times, won the gold medal in the Floor routine, with a score of 14,500 points. Dmitrii Lankin from Russia came second with 14,466 points and Alexander Satilov from Israel was third with 14,400 points.

In last year’s European Championships in Berne, Dragulescu won the silver medal at the apparatus. He has 10 European gold medals, becoming the first Romanian gymnast to set this record and beating Nadia Comaneci, who had 9 European titles. He has now three gold medals in the Floor finals (European Championships in 2000, 2004, 2005, and 2017), three gold medals in Vault (2002, 2004, and 2006), two Gold medals with the team (2002, 2004) and one in the All-Around Individual competition (2004). Moreover, he has the chance of beating his own score today, after the Vault finals, where he qualified with the first score.

In the pommel horse final the winner was Russia’s David Belyavskiy who scored 15,100 points. The silver medal went to the Hungarian Krisztian Berki, with 14,900 points, while the bronze medal was conquered by the Armenian Harutyun Merdinyan with a score of 14,833 points. All-around champion Oleg Verniaiev was not having the best day, coming off the apparatus and finished seventh.

The last men’s finals was the Rings, where the champion became once again the Greek Eleftherios Petrounias with the great score of 15,433 points. The reigning European, World and Olympic Champion easily qualified in the top spot and his fantastic performance made it impossible for his rivals to dethrone him, getting him his third consecutive European title. The silver medal went to Courtney Tulloch, Great Britain, with 15,066 points and the bronze medal to Igor Radivilov from the Ukraine, with 15,033 points.

In the women’s event, the British Ellie Downie, the European All-Around Individual Champion, took the silver medal in the Vault finals and the bronze medal in Uneven Bars. She conquered the second place in the Vault finals with a total score of 14,350 points. The gold medal went to Coline Devillard from France with a score of 14,466 points, while the bronze went to Boglarka Devai, Hungary, with 14,316.

In Uneven Bars the gold medal went to Nina Derwael from Belgium, with 14,633 points, after a superb exercise that definitely separated her from the rest of the pack. She also set a record, by getting first ever European title in gymnastics for her country. The silver medal went to Elena Eremina from Russia with 14,300 points, while the bronze medal was received by two gymnasts: Ellie Downie from Great Britain and Eli Seitz from Germany, with a score of 14,133 points. The last competitor, Becky Downie, the defending champion, fell and injured herself, which overshadowed this final.

The European Individual Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2017 are taking place in Cluj- Napoca between April 19-23.